ST PETERSBURG: Qatar Airways plans to seek reimbursement from Boeing over the grounding of three 737 MAX plane via Italian airline Air Italy, where the Qatari company is a big shareholder, team chief executive Akbar al-Baker told Reuters.
Boeing MAX jets have been grounded worldwide and airways are cancelling multi-million contracts following crashes in October and March that killed nearly 350 folks.
"At Qatar Airways we do not operate any MAX airplanes – it affected our investment into Air Italy. Air Italy has three MAX operated in its fleet and they were grounded so it affected us – we had to take extra routing from outside," al-Baker said.
In 2017, Qatar purchased 49% of Air Italy, Italy's 2nd greatest provider in the back of Alitalia, which, in flip, is in part owned via Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways.
"Boeing has to compensate us for grounding," al-Baker said, however did not elaborate at the attainable value.
In Russia, Qatar Airways is in talks to buy a 20% stake in Vnukovo airport, Moscow's third greatest via passenger visitors.
Al-Baker said Qatar Airways used to be looking to close the deal "sometime before the end of the year."
Last year, Vnukovo's treated round 21 million passengers, in comparison with 29 million at Domodedovo and almost 46 million at Sheremetyevo, Russia's largest airport and probably the most busiest in Europe.
"Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo are already congested and the only airport that has an expansion opportunity is Vnukovo," Al-Baker said.
"We see a huge potential to grow the airport to bring more traffic, to intensify traffic, to grow there, to increase the duty free footprint."
Asked if Qatar Airways could believe acquiring a stake in Sheremetyevo, 30% of that could be on be offering via the airport's private shareholders, Al-Baker said: "We cannot do more than one airport at the same place."
At home, at Hamad International Airport in Doha, passenger visitors used to be at round 35 million folks last year.
"This year we hope that we will exceed 42 million passengers but during the blockade we did lose nearly 10% of the traffic because it was all of a sudden. But we have recovered now," Al-Baker said.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an financial and diplomatic boycott on Qatar in 2017 over allegations that Qatar supports terrorism and is aligning itself with regional foe Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.
Boeing MAX jets have been grounded worldwide and airways are cancelling multi-million contracts following crashes in October and March that killed nearly 350 folks.
"At Qatar Airways we do not operate any MAX airplanes – it affected our investment into Air Italy. Air Italy has three MAX operated in its fleet and they were grounded so it affected us – we had to take extra routing from outside," al-Baker said.
In 2017, Qatar purchased 49% of Air Italy, Italy's 2nd greatest provider in the back of Alitalia, which, in flip, is in part owned via Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways.
"Boeing has to compensate us for grounding," al-Baker said, however did not elaborate at the attainable value.
In Russia, Qatar Airways is in talks to buy a 20% stake in Vnukovo airport, Moscow's third greatest via passenger visitors.
Al-Baker said Qatar Airways used to be looking to close the deal "sometime before the end of the year."
Last year, Vnukovo's treated round 21 million passengers, in comparison with 29 million at Domodedovo and almost 46 million at Sheremetyevo, Russia's largest airport and probably the most busiest in Europe.
"Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo are already congested and the only airport that has an expansion opportunity is Vnukovo," Al-Baker said.
"We see a huge potential to grow the airport to bring more traffic, to intensify traffic, to grow there, to increase the duty free footprint."
Asked if Qatar Airways could believe acquiring a stake in Sheremetyevo, 30% of that could be on be offering via the airport's private shareholders, Al-Baker said: "We cannot do more than one airport at the same place."
At home, at Hamad International Airport in Doha, passenger visitors used to be at round 35 million folks last year.
"This year we hope that we will exceed 42 million passengers but during the blockade we did lose nearly 10% of the traffic because it was all of a sudden. But we have recovered now," Al-Baker said.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an financial and diplomatic boycott on Qatar in 2017 over allegations that Qatar supports terrorism and is aligning itself with regional foe Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.
Qatar Airways to seek compensation from Boeing
![Qatar Airways to seek compensation from Boeing]()
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June 08, 2019
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